Bohmeier, Barbara and Cybinski, Lisa M. and Gromer, Daniel and Bellinger, Daniel and Deckert, Juergen and Erhardt-Lehmann, Angelika and Deserno, Lorenz and Muehlberger, Andreas and Pauli, Paul and Polak, Thomas and Herrmann, Martin J. (2025) Intermittent theta burst stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has no additional effect on the efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy for acrophobia. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH, 476: 115232. ISSN 0166-4328, 1872-7549
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental disorders. Treatment guidelines recommend pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy as standard treatment. Although cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective therapeutic approach, not all patients benefit sufficiently from it. In recent years, non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, have been investigated as promising adjuncts in the treatment of affective disorders. The aim of this study is to investigate whether a combination of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) and virtual reality exposure therapy leads to a significantly greater reduction in acrophobia than virtual reality exposure with sham stimulation. In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, 43 participants with acrophobia received verum or sham iTBS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex prior to two sessions of virtual reality exposure therapy. Stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with iTBS was motivated by an experimental study showing a positive effect on extinction memory retention. Acrophobic symptoms were assessed using questionnaires and two behavioral approach tasks one week before, after treatment and six months after the second diagnostic session. The results showed that two sessions of virtual reality exposure therapy led to a significant reduction in acrophobic symptoms, with an overall remission rate of 79 %. However, there was no additional effect of iTBS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on the therapeutic effects. Further research is needed to determine how exactly a combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation and exposure therapy should be designed to enhance efficacy.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION; NONINVASIVE BRAIN-STIMULATION; FEAR EXTINCTION; GENERALIZED ANXIETY; REPETITIVE TMS; DISORDERS; PTSD; METAANALYSIS; Anxiety disorders; Acrophobia; Virtual reality exposure therapy; Non-invasive brain stimulation; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Intermittent theta burst stimulation |
| Subjects: | 100 Philosophy & psychology > 150 Psychology |
| Divisions: | Human Sciences > Institut für Psychologie > Lehrstuhl für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie - Lehrstuhl für Psychologie VIII - Prof. Dr. Andreas Mühlberger |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 31 Mar 2026 04:55 |
| Last Modified: | 31 Mar 2026 04:55 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/64940 |
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